


The Forest Floor Beneath Us

by goblinkore



Category: Hello From The Hallowoods (Podcast)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:01:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29165376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goblinkore/pseuds/goblinkore
Summary: Hector is an idiot, Jonah is also an idiot, they only have one tent.
Relationships: Hector Mendoza/Jonah Duckworth
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	The Forest Floor Beneath Us

Hector didn’t consider himself a smart man. He knew enough that he got by. His knowledge was almost entirely focused on the creatures of the Hallowoods, their hunting patterns and their dens. It was more often than he’d care to admit that he found himself stumbling over a thought that seemed to surface from somewhere deeper within him. It had been like that when he’d thought of the Hallowed creatures, a certainty that there was something he was missing and yet, no idea how to identify what that was. This was what led him to keep his book, his maps, and to note down anything that would help him unravel the thoughts. Usually after a period of time something would attack him and the thought would leave him like a flock of birds spooked by a hunter. 

Another one of those thoughts lingered in his mind now. It was uncomfortably present in his mind, it simply wouldn’t go away. It was a hot and heavy feeling, as though he was in an exotic jungle and bugs were swarming him in search of an inch of uncovered skin. He didn’t like the feeling, it caused his stomach to churn. Usually these thoughts could be solved by working them out or letting them fade, but neither seemed to work with this one. The more he thought the more it plagued him. The only difference about this thought, Hector considered, was that it focused on the man that had become his travelling companion. 

Jonah wasn’t what Hector had expected of Zelda’s son, but he was somehow exactly as he should be. He was clumsy, often tripping over roots that Hector had seen from ten paces back, and didn’t seem particularly comfortable in the shadows cast by the tall trees. They’d spoken a little, not enough to know each other well though. Hector knew that Jonah wasn’t a man accustomed to land beneath his feet, and felt that he shouldn’t judge Jonah too badly for not being steady on his own feet. Hector doubted he would fare much better on Jonah’s boat.

‘Jones,’ His voice seemed to echo in the woods, ‘would you like to take a break?’ 

Jonah looked at him, his eyes wide and mouth half open like a fish. His hair was greying at the temples, giving him the air of someone who knew a lot more than Hector had seen evidence of. Maybe Jonah was like him; heavily skilled in one or two specific areas and just bumbling along for the rest. 

‘I’m not tired.’ Jonah protested. 

Hector shook his head, feeling his face smile, ‘That’s not what I asked.’ 

‘Oh.’ Jonah seemed bashful now, almost as though he hadn’t considered that Hector might take his comfort into consideration. 

‘I promised your ma I’d get you back, and that’s what I’ll do. But it’s dark, and we’ve been travelling for a long time. We don’t need to do it all in one stretch.’ 

Jonah nodded, ‘If you wouldn’t mind, that would be nice. Just to rest my legs for a bit. I’m not used to all this walking.’ 

‘No problem,’ Hector smiled, ‘There looks to be a good place to stop just up there, that’s why I asked.’

Jonah focused on the spot in the trees that Hector had gestured at but shook his head and signed. ‘I honestly have no idea how you can see that, all these trees look the same to me.’ 

Hector laughed, starting to walk again at a slower pace than his usual one, ‘I guess most of it is practice.’ 

Jonah wiped his hand over his face, pushing the sweat that had started to accumulate on his skin back into his hair to keep it out of his face. He felt disgusting, the walking was starting to take its toll on him. He was a fit man, in the sense that he could haul crates of fish and heavy nets to and from different locations, but Hector seemed to be fit in a whole other way. Jonah didn’t doubt that he could probably out lift Hector in any competition, the man didn’t look like he was built to carry much weight, but his form was one that reminded Hector of a dolphin. It was sleek, aerodynamic, designed to cut between the waves and the water to get from point a to point b. 

He watched as Hector walked over to the area he’d decided they would be stopping at. Both dogs looked back at him as they checked out the underbrush, checking that he was still there. The loyalty he’d inspired in both dogs, Hallowed or not, was something that Jonah found tugging at his heart strings. Anyone that cared for animals the way that Hector did tended to be good people, and that made Jonah feel a lot more at ease with the strange man. His rescue from the Froglins and knowledge of Hector’s friendship with Ma notwithstanding. 

‘Do you want me to do anything?’ He asked, ‘I could get some twigs or something for a fire?’ 

Hector turned back to him and raised an eyebrow, ‘Would you know what kind of wood burns best and what kinds would cause a lot of unnecessary smoke?’ 

‘I- uh.’ Jonah stumbled over his words, ‘No, I don’t.’ 

‘That’s ok,’ Hector nodded, peeling the backpack from his shoulders, ‘You can just look through this and see if there’s anything worth eating.’ 

Jonah took the pack from Hector and unzipped it, rifling through the contents for a short while. He didn’t want to intrude on Hector’s privacy, but some of the stuff in the bag confused him. There were grenades in there, or at least something that looked enough like grenades that Jonah could identify them as such from the few war movies he’d managed to sit through. 

There was the tent that they’d slept in after the Froglins. Jonah lay that to one side, they might use it later. A water canister, which from the sloshing sounds inside it seemed to be mostly full. A bag of rations, dried meat, which seemed to get a nose twitch from both dogs as they stood protectively by their master as he collected twigs from the ground. 

Jonah almost cried when he saw them, beaten up by the rest of the contents of the bag, but unmistakable. The watercress sandwiches that Zelda made. He pulled them from the bag and held them in his hands, staring at them transfixed. 

He didn’t even realise that he was crying until Hector turned around. 

‘Jones?’ 

Jonah felt like the world was crushing his chest, he couldn’t breathe around the sobs that tore themselves silently from his throat. He was barely making more noise than if he was breathing heavily but he couldn’t stop himself as the tears came unbidden to his eyes and tore down his face. The saltiness of them as they caught in the corners of his mouth reminded him more just how far he was from everything he had ever called home. 

Hector had laid down his sticks and come to kneel next to the crying man. He pried the sandwiches from Jonah’s hands and wrapped his arms around the man, holding him in a protective grip. Jonah’s body was shaking, but Hector knelt beside him and held on until the sobs subsided. 

This wasn’t the first time that he’d seen something like this happen. He’d found people lost from the Scoutpost before, breaking down into wailing tears when they realised they had been rescued. He just hoped he could rescue Jonah like he had been able to with those people, the trees were getting darker than they should have been if they were following the right path. That was a worry for later though, he would deal with Jonah first. 

‘Hey,’ He whispered as Jonah pulled back from his chest, ‘It’s ok.’ 

Jonah pulled a sleeve of his knitted jumper over his hand and wiped his face on it, laughing a bitter chuckle. ‘I am sorry, I shouldn’t have-’ 

‘Nonsense.’ Hector shook his head as he took a seat beside Jonah, ‘It happens to the best of us.’ 

‘Even you?’ Jonah asked, getting some cheer back. 

‘To me?’ Hector nudged the pile of sticks into the correct shape as he spoke, ‘I make sure I have a nightly cry, use Heidi there as a nightlight and Jackie as the pillow.’ 

Jonah laughed which got caught in his throat. He coughed the mucus that had collected there up and spat it to one side. ‘Thanks,’ he said, ‘I feel like an idiot.’ 

Hector shrugged, ‘No need to. Pass that metal box?’ 

Jonah cast around looking for what Hector was referring to, and laid eyes on a battered old tin. He picked it up and passed it over. Hector cracked it open and pulled out something that looked like a packing peanut, or maybe a cotton ball, and something that looked like half of a lighter. 

Hector pulled the peanut apart with his bare fingers, letting the thing balloon, and nestled it in the bottom of the pile of twigs he’d gathered. He pushed a handful of dry leaves around it and reached into the nest he’d made for it with the other thing he’d removed from the pack in hand.  
Jonah watched as Hector lit the fire with the flint in his hand and took a deep breath. Even the concept of the fire had calmed him, although that may have had something to do with the solid weight of Hector’s body pushing against his calf. 

‘Do you think we’ll need the tent?’ Jonah asked, ‘I haven’t packed it away in case you did want it.’ 

Hector glanced up at the sky. It was dark, but not dark enough for it to be night yet, and it had been that way for a while. ‘Sure, we can put it up. Might as well get a decent sleep rather than push ourselves to exhaustion.’ 

Jonah nodded and began to clamber to his feet, ‘I can set it up.’ 

‘Do you know how?’ Hector asked from the fire, not turning his head away as he deftly rearranged twigs to catch the flames best. 

‘Think so, Ma got me a tent when I was a kid, it was similar.’ 

‘Alright, just ask if you need any help.’ Hector nodded, rearranging the fire more than was necessary. He didn’t know why his heart was racing in his chest but it was. Something about Jonah made his body react in a way he wasn’t familiar with, and that was distracting. The worst thing he could be in these woods was distracted. 

Jonah was setting up the tent as Hector stood up, brushing the dirt from his knees. Jackie came over and rested against his knee for a moment, her solid weight a reminder of what mattered. 

‘We don’t have much water for two people, but we do have rations and Ma’s sandwiches.’ Jonah announced as he finalised the last of the tent, ‘Should do for a decent meal.’ 

He was an idiot, he realised suddenly. Jonah was crying because of the sandwiches. Because if it wasn’t for his weird un-death thing, he would have been dead before he could see her again. 

‘That’s fine,’ Hector nodded, ‘You should choose whatever you want first.’ 

Jonah shook his head, ‘No way, I’m no good at sharing those sandwiches. We’ll split them even.’ 

The pair sat next to each other, their knees touching, as they split the bag of sandwiches. Heidi lay down on the other side of the fire, her ears alert and eyes unblinking. Jackie sat closer, her chin resting on Hector’s thigh. 

‘I love how much the dogs love you,’ Jonah said unprompted sometime after a comfortable silence fell between them, ‘It’s obvious they care for you.’ 

Hector didn’t know what to say. He nodded, petting Jackie’s head the same as he had been for a few minutes. ‘I guess… well, they’re my girls, you know? I look after them and they look after me.’ 

Jonah smiled at him, ‘That must be nice.’ 

Hector nodded, ‘Yeah, it is.’ 

The air had chilled suddenly since they’d lit the fire, and it was starting to look like the fire wouldn’t combat the worst of the chill for much longer. Hector realised this when a shiver ran through him. If he was feeling like this, Jonah must be freezing. He glanced over.

The fisherman seemed quite content, leaning back on his hands and watching the skies. ‘The stars are weird here.’ 

‘Huh?’ Hector asked, feeling like an idiot. 

Jonah watched the skies for a while, trying to think of a way to phrase it. The stars seemed too far away, slightly wrong in their positions. It was like he’d shifted, like the whole world had shifted, and now he was looking at a distorted version of the sky he knew. He couldn’t find a way to word that, instead he said, ‘Nevermind. Should we go to bed?’ 

‘That’s a good idea.’ Hector nodded, grabbing the last of the stuff that had been left out of his pack and putting it all away. Jonah noticed he’d not eaten all his sandwiches as he stood up and dusted himself off. 

Heidi’s head lifted up off the ground and she looked at Jonah, a piercing stare, but did nothing more. Jackie, distubed by Hector standing up, wandered over to her and lay down with a huff next to her. The pair seemed content to wait the night out. 

‘After you, Jones,’ Hector grinned, waving an arm in a mock bow, ‘I got to climb in first last night.’ 

Jonah laughed, ‘Sure, but I get the most space this time.’ 

He climbed into the tent, barely big enough to be comfortable for one person of his size let alone the two of them. He lay down as best he could without blocking off the entrance for Hector, who crawled in on hands and knees. 

With a bit of adjustment, the pack went at the top of the tent and the two of them had their legs tangled together. 

‘Do you think-’ Jonah stopped himself mid sentence as Hector was laying down from closing the tent flaps. 

‘Do I think what?’ Hector asked, trying to lay comfortably in what little space was left for him. 

Jonah wasn’t looking at Hector as he said, ‘Uh, wouldn’t it be easier to spoon?’  
Hector felt himself choke on the air he was breathing. He was a grown man who had seen unimaginable horrors and this was what undid him? Ridiculous. ‘It would make more sense…’ He trailed off, hoping Jonah would do something next. He didn’t want to have to arrange this. 

‘Ok,’ Jonah nodded, ‘I think if you… uh, face the wall of the tent and use the pack as a pillow, I can use my arm and spoon you?’ 

‘Sure.’ 

‘Or, you could use the pack as your pillow and I could use your arm as my pillow and you could spoon me.’ 

‘Which one is more comfortable for you?’ Hector asked. 

‘Me spooning you, I think?’ Jonah half shrugged, ‘I think that’s the best way to do this?’ 

Hector didn’t say anything but he did roll over to face the tent wall. Jonah lay still for a moment. ‘You can touch me, you know?’ Hector said, ‘We did just agree to this.’ 

Jonah let out a breath. ‘I just didn’t know if you would be ok with that so I didn’t.’ 

Hector was about to say something when an arm snaked around his stomach, pulling him close and tight. Jonah’s body was pushed against his all the way down to their feet. It was something Hector hadn’t felt in years and knocked all of the coherent thoughts from his mind. 

The night outside grew darker; the white dog and her companion took turns to sleep and protect the slumbering men inside the tent. Jonah held Hector close in his protective embrace, and moments before the pair fell asleep, their breathing matched pace.


End file.
